Grilling Tips For Cooler Weather

Summertime is coming to an end and most individuals are getting ready to put their barbecue grills away for the winter months. While I have never been a fan of cold weather, I feel that grilling during the winter months is actually satisfying and is some thing more folks should do. A lot of men and women do not seem to like to use their barbecue grill during the winter months, even though it is simple to do. Can you blame any of them though? Just the thought of standing outside when it is freezing outside and grilling food is not something most folks want to do.

To those people who do like to grill throughout the wintertime, they have the right idea. If you really like the way grilled food tastes then you almost certainly don't mind standing outdoors in the cold temperatures. I should know because I am someone who will stand outside in the cold weather and make sure that everything is right, even though I realize I could just cook dinner on my range indoors. I like cooking outside when it is cold out even though I hate the cold, nevertheless I have a nice gas grill on my back patio so it makes it a more enjoyable experience.

One of the things to keep in mind when you are grilling in cooler weather is that food takes a little longer to cook mainly because of the temperature difference. You probably already knew this but it needs to be said and most people will turn up the temperature to make up for the lower outdoor temperature. By turning up the temperature on your grill you can make certain that it gets hot enough to cook your food completely.

Something else you should keep in mind when grilling in the cold is to make sure to keep the lid on your grill closed as much as possible. When you take the lid off your grill even for a minute or less the hot air escapes and the temperature inside the grill drops quickly. When you take the lid off the grill and let the hot air out it will take several minutes for the temperature inside the grill to go back up to where it was before and continue cooking.

It is a little more difficult to control the temperature on a charcoal grill and you can't just turn a knob to get crank up the temperature either. The way to control how much heat you are getting with your charcoal grill involves a little more planning and requires you to use a little more charcoal and adjust the heat by controlling the air flow as it comes into the grill. It also helps to have a thermometer when you are doing this so you know how much heat you actually need to have. Different cuts of meat take different heat levels to come out right but if you know you need to keep the grilling surface at 500 degrees to grill that awesome steak, you can make sure it stays that temp all the way through the cooking cycle.

That's about it for grilling your food when it is cold out. While it is pretty much the same as grilling food during the warmer months, keep in mid how important it is to watch the temperature of your grill. As much as I hate winter, being able to cook on my grill makes it a little less boring and it keeps me occupied so it is a great way for me to pass those cold months.